


A Cup of Coffee

by DaughterOfKings



Series: Served With Love [2]
Category: Young Wizards - Diane Duane
Genre: Coffee, F/M, Families of Choice, Family, Family Feels, Food as a Metaphor for Love, Friendship, Gen, M/M, Magic, Missing Scene, Wizards
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-02
Updated: 2016-10-02
Packaged: 2018-08-19 00:56:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8182717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DaughterOfKings/pseuds/DaughterOfKings
Summary: “Magic still makes her nervous,” Nita said.“Or we still make her nervous,” Tom said. -High WizardyBetty faces her fears after Nita launches herself into space to find Dairine.





	

**Author's Note:**

> 1) I blame this entirely on two things: my mother and a grad school ethnography class.
> 
> 2) This story follows _A Family Meal_ , but can also be read as a stand-alone.

Betty stands in Nita’s empty room for a long moment, trying to come to the terms with the fact that both of her daughters are in space and in danger. She thinks she ought to have been more ready for this to happen; Tom had told her, after all, that wizardry ran in families, that wizard siblings weren't uncommon. She'd thought, at the time, that she could handle it, but she hadn't really known how much risk was involved. Or how much power.

Beside her, Harry takes a deep breath, squeezes her arm, and tells her they should go back downstairs to talk to Tom and Carl. He’s hoping they’ll say something that will make it all a little less terrible, but they won’t, of course.

Betty knows they don’t lie.

Still, she follows Harry into the living room because it’s better than doing nothing. They find Tom sitting on their couch, reading something from the slightly battered book-  _The Manual_ , Betty remembers, _it’s called the Manual-_  balanced on one of his knees. Carl is slumped against his side, head tipped back and eyes closed. Betty doesn’t think he’s awake.

“I’ve sent messages to all our contacts,” Tom says without looking up. “Nita- and Kit, if he can join her- shouldn’t be without help for long.”

“That’s- that’s good,” Harry says, and Betty wonders if he noticed that Tom didn’t actually make any promises.

“Is Carl all right?” she asks.

“Hmm?” Tom glances at her, then at his partner. “Oh,” he says. “Sorry, yes, he’s fine. It just took a lot out of him to work that spell earlier.” 

Betty shudders at the memory of Carl pacing around Dairine- or, no, not really around her, but around her copy- and unleashing a burst of magic. He'd told her and Harry that he never would have done it to their actual daughter, but she'd still been frightened. Watching him talk to the roses in Harry's garden, or edit Nita’s spell diagrams over glasses of lemonade hadn’t prepared her for that.

And, then, there was what he’d said about the galaxy, and driving the car...

Tom frowns at something in his Manual, then continues, “It’s easy for us to do big spells when we’re young, but- as with everything in life, really- it takes more effort as we get older.”

“Is that why Dairine's becoming a wizard at her age?” Harry asks. “Someone needs her to... do big spells?”

“The entire universe needs her," Tom says frankly. "She's quite formidable.”

That, Betty thinks, has always been an accurate way to describe her daughter, and it's comforting to hear it now. But she still has to ask- like she asked about Nita- "Is she really ready? Are your Powers sure?"

"Wizardy is never offered or accepted lightly," Tom answers, and she remembers him telling her that he was just as young as Dairine when it was offered to him. She isn't sure she wants to consider what that says about his own formidability. 

He gives her one of the knowing looks she's gotten used to since they first met, and adds, "We only ever use it for the preservation of Life, of course.” 

“That's something you’ll have to teach Dairine when she gets back," Harry replies- and Betty loves him for saying their daughter will be back, for not even considering another outcome. 

Tom smiles briefly. “I may leave that to Carl.” He nudges his partner in the side, saying, “Up and at ‘em. You have work to do.”

“‘s still your turn,” Carl grumbles, but he sits up straight and opens his eyes. “What’s the word?”

Tom holds up his Manual and says, “Kit left us a message to say he’s okay to go with Nita. He’d still like one of us to go over and talk to his parents, though. Since I’m in better shape to be reassuring right now, you’re on watch duty.”

Betty manages not to blanch as Carl reaches into thin air and pulls his own Manual out of it. “Watch duty?” she asks.

“Monitoring the précis on your daughters,” Carl explains.

“It might not provide us with much detail, given that Dairine’s on Ordeal and there are so many variables, but it will let us know if- well-” Tom coughs and looks apologetic. “If she fails.”

That would be better than not knowing, Betty thinks, but she can’t form the words to reassure him of that. Instead, she wraps her arms around herself and swallows the urge to cry.

"I'm going to the garden," Harry announces, heading for the door before he's even done speaking. He’ll pull weeds and prune roses until it gets too dark for him to see, and Betty hopes there’s enough daylight left for it to do him some good.

“Sorry,” Tom says. “We can’t sugarcoat this for you.”

"No, of course not." Betty pats his shoulder and takes a steadying breath. “When you're done talking to the Rodriguezes, tell them they can call any time. It might help them to hear from other parents in this situation.” She thinks it might help her, too, to have more people to confide in.

Tom gives her an approving nod. He touches a page in his Manual, flicks his wrist to lift the glowing script into the air over his head, and then both he and it vanish.

“Someone’s feeling dramatic,” Carl mutters. He scrubs his hands over his face and hauls himself to his feet, stifling a yawn.

All of Betty’s mothering instincts kick in at once. She puts a hand on his elbow to guide him to the kitchen, saying, “Come with me. I'll put some coffee on.”

Carl flashes a quick, grateful smile and lets her lead the way. He ends up leaning against her counter, chin propped on one hand, while she plugs in the coffee maker. “You know, sometimes it scares me, too,” he says conversationally. “Wizardry, that is.”

Betty manages not to drop the mug she’d been reaching for, and tells herself that when all this is over she really will ask if wizards can read minds. For now, she just says, “Does it?”

“It’s a lot to be worthy of,” he answers, shrugging. 

And that... is something Betty hadn't considered, something that makes her heart twist.

"I think that's why the Oath tells us to put aside fear for courage," Carl continues softly. "We have to believe that we were made to do this."

Betty hears the message-  _Your daughters were made to do this_ \- and knows it's her turn to put aside fear, too. She doesn't know if she can do it, not entirely, but she can try. The coffee maker pings before she can say so, and she grabs the pot so she can pour.

Carl takes the mug she offers him and says, “Thank you. I might need you to keep this coming.”

“Of course,” Betty replies. She flutters her hands and adds, “That should keep me from stress baking.” She's already tempted to whip up a batch of Nita's favorite cookies, or maybe even a double batch since Kit likes them, too...

Carl blows on his coffee and takes a sip, sighing appreciatively. “My mother does the same thing. Tom likes to joke that she’s baked enough to feed half of Brooklyn since she last saw me.”

Betty wonders- but doesn’t ask- just how long ago that was. She knows Carl’s parents didn’t take the revelation of his wizardry well. Her eyes stray to his Manual, which could contain news of her daughters at any moment, and she remembers what she’d thought earlier: that it's better to know. She can’t imagine what it’s like for Carl’s mother, not ever knowing what's happening to her son. 

“You should call her,” she says, and watches him flinch. “I know it’s not my place to tell you that, but-”

“You’re a mother, too,” Carl finishes. “I know.” 

He sets his coffee aside, opens his Manual, and whispers a command. The pages illuminate with information, and Betty almost forgets to breathe while he reads it, telling herself there won’t be bad news, there can't be bad news yet. She'll know if it happens.

“Let me do this for you right now," Carl tells her. "After it’s over, then... I’ll think about what you’ve said.”

It wouldn’t be much of a concession from anyone else, but Carl is a wizard, so Betty agrees. She grabs another mug, pours her own cup of coffee, and settles in beside him to wait for her daughters to return.


End file.
